Members of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians participate in a powwow in September. Photo by Stephen King / Win Awenen Nisitotun

The White House named two tribes as Climate Action Champions on Wednesday.

The Blue Lake Rancheria of California and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians were among 16 winners of a competition overseen by the Department of Energy. They were selected because they have taken action to address climate change in their communities.

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"They will be receiving technical assistance around pollution mitigation, climate resilience, and each will be assigned a federal coordinator in order to help leverage resources to support the implementation of their climate strategies," Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said yesterday at the White House Tribal Nations Conference.

Information about each tribe's efforts follow:

The Blue Lake Rancheria, a Federally recognized tribal government, began its strategic climate action plan in 2008 and is a regional leader in strategically planning and implementing both climate resiliency and greenhouse gas reduction measures. To date, the Tribe has reduced energy consumption by 35 percent and has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2018, utilizing a range of approaches including the use of biodiesel to power public buses and aggressive energy efficiency measures.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians demonstrates a holistic approach to climate action and preparedness through their energy strategy, emergency operations plan, integrated resource management plan, solid waste management plan, sustainable development code, and land use planning process, with ambitious goals including a net-zero energy goal. The tribe aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent per year.

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